Im zweiten Quartal 2023 erhöhte sich der Bestand an von finanziellen Mantelkapitalgesellschaften/Verbriefungszweckgesellschaften (FMKGs) im Euroraum begebenen Schuldverschreibungen auf 1 783 Mrd. € nach 1 741 Mrd. € im Vorquartal.

Im ersten Quartal 2023 belief sich der Bestand an von Investmentfonds (ohne Geldmarktfonds) begebenen Anteilen auf 15 302 Mrd. € und war damit um 304 Mrd. € höher als im ersten Quartal 2023.

Frederick II, of the House of Hohenstaufen and King of Sicily, took an extraordinary step when he started minting gold coins in 1231. This is because, for many centuries, the Christian West had been shaped purely by silver currency. Frederick II’s gold coins, called augustales, were something special: the quality of the image and their embossing are unique for their time. Augustales are extraordinary coins minted by an extraordinary ruler.

In the Middle Ages, the Republic of Venice was a significant trading and naval power. Venice was the capital of a far-flung territory. The areas under the control of the lagoon city included a thin strip on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, parts of modern Greece, Crete and other islands in the Aegean.

When Parisians stormed the Bastille on 14 July 1789, the face of Europe was changed forever. At this time, France was ruled by Louis XVI, king by divine right. He reigned in the tradition of the Sun King Louis XIV and exercised almost absolute power. The country was in turmoil. Large swaths of the population were impoverished while the nobility enjoyed a life of excess. It was on that fateful day that tensions erupted.

The guineas were introduced in 1663 and remained the principal British gold coin up until 1816. They came into being in the aftermath of the English Civil War (1642–1649). During the war, England was declared a free commonwealth but the English Republic lasted less than 20 years.

Constans was the youngest son of Constantin I the Great. He was only a boy when his father accorded him the rank of Caesar (emperor-designate). With the death of Constantin I in 337, his three sons Constantin II, Constantius II and Constans adopted the title of Augustus and divided the empire amongst themselves.

The Bundesbank’s autumn conference 2024 in Frankfurt am Main focused on the challenges facing financial markets, financial intermediaries and central banks.